Saturday, October 27, 2007

The pumpkin patch we went to had all varieties of pumpkins. The bluish pumpkins were called Fairytale Pumpkins, so naturally Madison had to have one. Here she is with the pumpkin she picked out.

The other day Madison said "I wish that I could marry Mitchell." When Eliot asked her why she wanted to marry Mitchell she responded, "I don't know, because we love each other." It was really sweet. These two have such a fun time together!

Another "like father, like son" moment. Notice how hard Mitchell is concentrating and how he is sticking his tongue out. Eliot often does the same when he is deep in concentration. Mitchell was so cute because it looked like he believed he was pushing the wagon all by himself.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

We have been apple picking every fall for several years now. It is one of our favorite things to do together as a family. We spent the afternoon in Julian, California sampling apple cider, apple pie, and carmel apples. Then we got to work and picked our own apples at an orchard just outside of town. (sidenote: this area has been evacuated today due to wildfires. We are not threatened here, near the coast, but the air quality is extremely poor. The air is dark with smoke and particles.) We picked several bags full of apples and really enjoyed ourselves. This week we did many fun things with our apples. We ate them raw, we made applesauce, we used them as stamps to make art, and we also made Grandpa Jack's Favorite Applesauce Cookies- a personal favorite of mine too. I messed up the recipe so I had to double it and ended up making about 12 dozen cookies. I was baking all day, but I have enjoyed having the cookies around- maybe a little too much. I was wishing I could take several dozen to Grandpa so that he could enjoy them too. The cookies will always remind me of him and I have been thinking about him constantly. Apple picking was a fun way to bring in the fall as it always is.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Hawaii. I am certainly one who loves to travel. I love seeing new places, meeting new people, tasting new food, hearing new sounds, and all around having new experiences. Special thanks to my husband who indulges my need for all types of travel. It was an awesome way to bring in our thirties. Here's to many more years and many more experiences to come!

1. Spending time with my honey! (In this picture we were at a black sand beach.) 2. Cruising on the road to Hana with the top down! 3. All kinds of waterfalls; short ones, tall ones, fat ones, skinny ones- all very neato. (Remember that song, "Don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to." What does that mean anyway? We were all about chasing waterfalls on this trip.

4. Hanging out with friends and family and getting some good grub while we were at it. More specifically, sushi and steak -yum!

5. Learning to Paddle Board and not falling once.

6. Being with Darl, Michelle, and Mitchell Gleed! They were so kind and extremely hospitable.

7. Finding exotic and secluded beaches. Notice the red sand. (Also of note, some of the beaches were so secluded that many people visiting them were scantily clad, I mean very scantily clad. In other words, a whole group of nudists showed up while we were at this beach. C'mon now, that ruins it for everybody, for real!)

8. Ocean view rooms at every stop. 9. Picking breakfast out of the backyard.

10. Seeing where those yummy mac nuts come from. 11. Kayaking through Kealakekua Bay where we saw hundreds of dolphins.(This is the infamous bay where Captain James Cook was killed.)